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FPV Drone Packed With Explosives Slams Into Ukrainian An-124 in Germany—but Fails to Detonate
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
An FPV drone slammed into the wing of a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo aircraft at Leipzig Airport but failed to detonate, despite allegedly carrying a Semtex explosive charge, Die Zeit reported on August 10.
An analysis of video footage indicates that the drone struck the aircraft at around 8:30 pm. Kyiv time on August 4.
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The impact reportedly occurred on one of the aircraft’s most sensitive areas, near the wing section containing fuel tanks. Instead of exploding, however, the drone bounced off the An-124 and fell to the ground.
According to the report, the device carried plastic explosive identified as Semtex.
The same An-124 "Ruslan" taking off from Antonov airfield near Kyiv on July 11
— Slava 🇺🇦 (@Heroiam_Slava) July 17, 2025
Antonov modernized the Ruslan aircraft, released in 1994, replacing Russian parts with Ukrainian and Western ones. In June 2025, the work was completed, and on July 11, the aircraft was flown to… pic.twitter.com/U49InU5ETu
The drone remained unnoticed for roughly four hours until a tour bus driver accidentally spotted it on the ground, stepped on it, and alerted airport security.
The newly analyzed footage has undermined an earlier theory that the incident may have been intended merely as a “warning” rather than an attempt to cause actual damage. The drone’s impact with the aircraft and reported explosive payload instead point to an attempted strike that failed to detonate.
US authorities had previously assessed that the drone was linked to a Russian intelligence service.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt also suggested that a foreign state could have been behind the incident. Germany’s National Security Council, chaired by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, subsequently convened on August 7.
Leipzig Airport is an important European logistics hub and is regularly used for military transportation supporting NATO countries.
Ukraine’s Antonov An-124 Ruslan heavy cargo aircraft are frequently used to move defense-related cargo as part of international logistics operations.
Earlier, US intelligence has assessed that an explosive-laden drone discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport was linked to the Russian government.
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